


Boston Learning

by mythtakenforastory



Series: Boston the City [1]
Category: Cities!verse (Fandom), Paris Burning (thecitysmith)
Genre: Boston is a college student, Gen, Paris Burning, and a spitfire, anthropomorphized cities, kickass nerdy girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-14
Updated: 2013-05-14
Packaged: 2017-12-11 20:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/803135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythtakenforastory/pseuds/mythtakenforastory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boston's always been a bit of a rebel. (Even if it sometimes takes an unusual form.)</p><p>[The story of the City of Boston]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boston Learning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Paris Burning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/825130) by [thecitysmith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecitysmith/pseuds/thecitysmith). 



> First posted on Tumblr (same name) on 4/14/13. First published Boston interpretation for the Cities!verse. Based off of "Paris Burning", which can be found [ here](http://makinghugospin.livejournal.com/9761.html?thread=1263649#t1263649) at the Les Mis kinkmeme.

Boston’s always been a bit of a rebel. (Even if it sometimes takes an unusual form.)

 

She also tends to the confrontational these days ( _“always in your face,” New York City grumbles semi-affectionately. “shut up, you’re just mad my Sox won that game,” she replies cheerfully. “that’s my boys.”_ ), but wasn’t always brash. Puritans had a  _thing_ about children and politeness. 

But just because she wasn’t loud about it doesn’t mean that spark wasn’t there. 

She once held Anne Hutchinson, after all; she was very young then, and doesn’t remember it well, but that courage and grace once walked her streets and perhaps made her the better for it.  _If a woman can preach, what else could a woman do?_  

Seed planted, Boston grew. From little girl, toddling in a christening gown and cap to young girl, dark curls messy about her face, listening with baited breath to her boys, those Adams boys, proclaim the injustice of the English. (And oh, she misses those boys, her firebrands, and picks Sam Adams beer over all other commercial brands out of sentiment. Who cares that Philadelphia calls him a bad influence, she liked him.)

(And if later, she throws a tantrum because no one would let her help throw tea in the harbor because  _girls don’t do that_ , then, well.  _If a woman can preach…_ )

She weathers a siege, and an earthquake, and a fire, and a massacre, and more fire, and the formation of a country around her. Capital City of the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, how about that? (She grumbles, very occasionally, at never being first at something. Not the oldest American City; even discounting Mexico, there’s still Salem [“ _and don’t you forget it”_ ] and New York City and stupid  _Newfoundland_. Not the first state to ratify the Constitution; Delaware had to steal her thunder. She didn’t even really get to claim the oldest US university until many years after its founding, when her borders expanded enough that they talk about her in terms of “greater area”.)

And Boston grows. 

Lasts through more fire, and more nation-building, and  _schools_ , glorious schools, teaching both her and her people about the world. At the same time as the schools (schools!) come the museums, and the libraries, and the newspapers, and the Societies for so many intellectual topics, and Boston falls in love. 

And she continues to learn, this young City, hair distractedly bound back from her face, as she grows. With a growing nation comes politics, with her trade ports comes economics and with  _that_ , math; with Cambridge comes Harvard with its classics and history and philosophy, and MIT with more math and science. (Let sister Salem have her rich ship captains with their curios from abroad. Boston has her professors and inventors and amateur philosophers and sheer  _knowledge_. Who cares if girls don’t get educated the same as boys?  _If a woman can preach…_ )

She has her arms open wide as people from Europe’s Cities stream across the sea. She can’t take as many as New York City, or Chicago, but she welcomes those she can ( _you, who have lived in the Old World, teach me something_ new.).

And now, at almost 400 years old, after issues with bussing and still more fire and that stupid molasses flood that no one will  _ever_  let her live down,  she stands in Faneuil Hall Marketplace and grins. 

 _This is what a woman can do_. 

Fourth oldest City in the American nation, tenth largest metropolitan area, four kickass professional sports teams-  _we don’t talk about the Curse, New York!_ - and home to over 100 institutes of higher education. (Guess which accomplishment’s her favorite.)

She’s proud of the way she turned out. The quintessential college girl, earbuds in and textbooks in her satchel, learning more every day. Because no matter how much she loves her people, or her history, or her sports, learning will always be her first, best, love.


End file.
